Submissions

Author Guidelines

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

Click here for copy: Guidelines

Overview

Selbyana is the scientific journal of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and is published on a rolling basis by the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Press and the New College of Florida Library. It publishes original studies that explore various aspects of tropical forest diversity with an emphasis on epiphytes and their forest canopy habitats. It also considers Editorials addressing relevant topics of current interest to tropical biologists, including discussions on current debates in botany and related fields, Book Reviews, and Announcements. 

Submission Requirements  

- All manuscripts must be submitted electronically using Open Journal Systems author dashboard. Hardcopies will not be accepted. The text must be submitted as a document file (.doc, docx, or rtf files). PDF files will not be accepted.

Naming Files 

- Please name all electronic files beginning with the last name of the first author followed by the date of submission and ending with the file contents (e.g., Smith_et_al_30Dec08_text.doc). If there are accompanying files, such as images, figures or datasets, please follow the same naming convention (e.g., Smith_et_al_30Dec08_fig1.tif, Smith_et_al_30Dec09_data.csv). 

Data 

- All data, datasets, and other relevant information must be made available to reviewers. Research involving phylogenetic analysis must include corresponding datasets (e.g., nexus format gene sequence matrices, morphological data matrices, etc.). 

Charges 

- Publishing in Selbyana is completely free for authors. There are no article processing charges (APCs) or other page charges associated with publishing in Selbyana.

Selbyana instructions for authors should be reviewed and followed carefully before submitting a manuscript. Editors reserve the right to return manuscripts not conforming to the basic formatting and style requirements to the author(s) for adjustment before the review process can begin. 

Language

- Manuscripts must be submitted in English (please use American spelling). A second abstract in Spanish will be accepted. Authors whose native language is not English are encouraged to ask colleagues familiar with the field of research and fluent in English (preferably a native speaker) to correct the language in the manuscript before submission. Manuscripts submitted to Selbyana that are of sound science but lacking appropriate grammar and spelling will be returned to the authors. The general recommendations of the latest edition of the “CBE Style Manual: A Guide for Authors, Editors and Publishers in the Biological Sciences” should be followed. 

Formatting

- Format all pages to 8.5" by 11" or 215.9 mm by 279.4 mm (Standard U.S. letter-sized paper), and double-space text throughout, including figure legends and literature cited.

- Margins should be 1” on all sides, including figures and tables. Do not use justified margins and do not hyphenate words at the end of lines. 

- Metric measures should be used throughout. Special symbols can be used but need to be carefully checked by the author at proof stage because they may be altered due to incompatibility of files.

- New paragraphs should begin with a tab indent, not a series of spaces. A single dash should be used for compound words (e.g., high-school); use an en dash (a dash the length of the letter “n”) between a series of numbers or dates (e.g., 1930–1940). 

- Dashes and hyphens should not be spaced. Please feel free to copy these symbols from this author guide and paste them into your manuscript. Using the correct symbols will speed up the editing process. 

- Multiplication or times sign “×”. It is not to be confused with the letter “x.” It should always be used in hybrid taxa (e.g., Cattleya × adrienne) and in measurements of length and width, for example: “petals 1.0–3.0 × 0.5–0.7 mm.”

- Use only a single space between sentences. Superscript and subscript text should be formatted as such. 

- Units should be given in standard abbreviated format without additional punctuation (e.g., mm); temperatures should be written as a number immediately followed by a degree symbol and the unit abbreviation (e.g., 20°C). 

- Abbreviated words should be spelled out the first time they are used in the text followed by the abbreviation in parentheses [i.e., Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (MSBG)]. 

- Citations of plant names at the rank of genus or below must include the botanical authority(ies) the first time they appear in the manuscript, but these should not be included in the abstract or title. 

- Abbreviations of certain words are standardized: ca. = circa, m = meter, cm = centimeter, dbh = diameter at breast height, elev. = elevation (Please do not use altitude, which is not used for heights of land surfaces above sea level; altitude is used for heights above the earth surface, e.g., of an airplane), pers. comm. = personal communication, unpubl. data = unpublished data. For other abbreviations, please refer to “Special Instructions for Taxonomic Treatments below."

- Do not italicize common Latin words or phrases (“et al.,” “i.e.,” “in situ,” “ca.”), and use the abbreviations “e.g.” and “i.e.” only within parentheses. However, please italicize “et al.” when citing collector’s number in taxonomic treatments. 

- Do not use “&” in the text except with authors of plant names (e.g., Lepanthes nitida Luer & Hirtz), within parentheses (Walsh & Roberts 1998), and when citing collections examined (e.g., B.  Ståhl & M. Cornejo 5854). 

- Authors are responsible for diacritical marks. Any formatting that cannot be achieved using a word processor, but needs to be included  in the final version, should be clearly communicated in a comment to the editor during the submission process.

- When preparing files in MS-WORD (for Mac or PC) do NOT assign "styles" to formatting for titles, subtitles, subheads, block quotes, paragraphs and indents, etc. The default, or “normal,” style should be the only style in your manuscript.

- Use “smart quotes” not "straight quotes."

- Turn off all formatting in the Preferences and in the Tool Menu under AutoCorrect. Make sure that there are no comments, annotations, or hidden text in the final version of the manuscript. Before submitting the file, make sure to accept or reject all changes if using “Track Changes.”

Pagination and Section Order 

Last name of authors and page number should be included on all pages of the manuscript as a header located on the upper right-hand corner. Start with Title Page. The manuscript should be assembled in the following order: 1) Title page 2) Abstract and keywords 3) Body text 4) Acknowledgments 5) Literature Cited 6) Tables 7) Figures 8) Table and Figure legends.

Title Page

Information should appear in the following format: 

- Title, near the middle of the page, centered, in capitals and small capitals; first author name should be centered, in capitals and small capitals, followed by professional affiliation address(es) (left and regular font) and e-mail address, repeated for each subsequent author. Please include institutional addresses (and e-mail addresses, if available) for each author, even if it is the same as for another author. Affiliation addresses are linked to the author names by numbers in superscript and are provided in corresponding order. Denote corresponding author with an “*” following his or her name and include “*Corresponding author” at the bottom of the title page. 

Abstract

- Begin the abstract with the word “ABSTRACT” in capitals and small capitals immediately followed by a period and space. The abstract should be one paragraph and generally less than 200 words. Do not use abbreviations or citations. The abstract should include a brief summary of the research presented along with the most relevant findings in the study. 

Keywords

- Keywords immediately follow the abstract and begin with the word “Keywords” followed by a colon, all in italics, and then a space. List 4–6 words that are relevant to the manuscript that are NOT in the title, each separated by a comma, in alphabetical sequence. 

Body Text

- The main text of the manuscript should follow a standard format including an introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusions as appropriate. However, this can vary depending on the subject being covered. Authors should find similar articles to theirs in recent issues of Selbyana for style direction, but please note that the present guidelines contain updated instructions, which may differ from style used in previous Selbyana publications. Each new section, including the Introduction, begins with a section heading. Figures and tables should be cited in the text using capitals and small capitals in numerical order as referenced in the text (e.g., FIGURE 1, TABLE 2). 

Headings 

- First-level headings are centered, in bold, the first letter of each major word capitalized, and in small caps, with an extra line before and after the heading. 

- Second-level headings are centered, in bold, with the first letter of each major word capitalized. Place one extra line before and after the heading. Only one space is needed between primary and secondary headings if stacked. 

- Third-level headings are indented with a tab, in bold, with the first letter of each major word capitalized, followed by a period and a single space. 

Note: taxonomic treatments do not require a secondary heading. Rather, the tertiary heading style is used for new sections/headings under the treatment. See the section on “Special Instructions for Taxonomic Treatments” below. 

- Fourth-level headings are indented with a tab, italicized, with the first letter of the first word capitalized and only proper nouns thereafter. These end with a period and a single space, followed by the text. 

Examples: 

Third-level Heading. Text... 

Fourth-level heading. Text... 

Literature Cited

- References in the text should correspond identically to those listed in the Literature Cited. Within parentheses, use a comma to separate different types of citations [e.g., (Roberts & Walsh 1989, Walsh & Roberts 1998)]. Cite several references within parentheses by year, with the earliest one first [e.g., (Roberts 1996, 1998)]. Separate multiple citations by a semicolon [e.g., (Roberts 1996, 1998; Walsh 1995, 1998)]. Use a, b, c, etc., to distinguish two or more papers by the same author(s) in the same year [e.g., (Walsh 1998a, 1998b)].

• One author. Walsh (1998) or (Walsh 1998). 
• Two authors. Walsh and Roberts (1998) or (Walsh & Roberts 1998).
• Three or more authors. Walsh et al. (1998) or (Walsh et al. 1998).
• Manuscripts accepted for publication but not published. Walsh and Roberts (in press) or (Walsh & Roberts in press).
• Dissertation. Walsh (1999). 
• Unpublished materials. B. Walsh (unpubl. data), (B. Walsh unpubl. data), or B. Walsh (pers. comm.).
• Specific pages in citation. (Walsh 1998: 128).

-  If a reference has two dates with one in brackets, cite date in brackets in the text.

- Verify all entries against original sources, especially journal titles, accents, diacritical marks, and spelling

- Please include DOI for papers that have these. This facilitates linking to papers that have online versions.

- Periodicals and books titles should be fully spelled out in the Literature Cited section. Authors should be consistent. 

- Cite references in alphabetical order by the first author’s surname. List references alphabetically by author(s) last name and then chronologically for same-author references. 

- Use a five en dash line to replace the author(s) name when the same author or author combination is in the preceding reference. 

- “In press” references must have been accepted for publication and the name of the journal or publisher included. 

- For book citations, list the publisher and city of publication. 

- Arrange citations as in the following examples: 

 Single author: 

Luther, H. E. 1986. A new species of Guzmania (Bromeliaceae) from western Ecuador. Selbyana 9: 187–188. 

 Multiple authors:

Martin, C. E., McLeod, K. W., Eades, C. A., and Pitzer, A. F. 1985. Morphological and physiological responses to irradiance in the CAM epiphyte Tillandsia usneoides L. (Bromeliaceae). Botanical Gazette 146: 489–494. 

 Book:

Cronquist, A. 1981. An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants. Colombia 

University Press, New York.

 Chapter in book:

 Benzing, D. H. 1995. Vascular epiphytes. Pp. 225–254. In: Lowman, M. D. and Nadkarni, N. M. (eds.), Forest Canopies. Academic Press, San Diego.

Dissertation: 

Yanoviak, S. P. 1999. Community Ecology of Water-Filled Tree Holes in Panama. Ph.D. diss., University of Oklahoma, Norman.

Internet source: 

Author, A. YEAR. Title of website, database or other resources. Publisher name and location (if indicated), number of pages (if known). Available from: http://xxx.xxx.xxx/ (accessed: Day/Month/Year).

Tables 

Please use the table function in your word processor to build tables such that the cells, rows and columns remain aligned when font size and width of the table are changed. Do not use the tab key or space bar to type tables. Begin tables on a new page. Table title should begin at the top of the page, beginning with the word “TABLE” in capital and small capitals and the table number followed by a period. Include a brief title and summary of the table details. Symbols and abbreviations should be defined in the summary even if they are defined in the text. However, if these are defined in one table and used in subsequent tables, they need not be defined again. Use only horizontal lines to separate the title and column headings, between major divisions in the table, and at the bottom of the table. Avoid extraneous use of lines and do not include vertical lines. The first word in each column or row header should be capitalized. 

Figure Legends

Begin Figure Legends on a separate page. Legends should begin with the word “FIGURE” in capitals and small capitals followed by the figure number and a period. Figures with multiple sections should be defined with capital letters followed by a period, in bold, with a brief description beginning with a capital letter and ending with a period (e.g., FIGURE 1. Drymonia decora sp. nov. A. Plant habit. B. Flower.). When several figures are grouped together in one plate, combine appropriate legends into one paragraph (e.g., FIGURES 1–4. FIGURE 1. Floral detail of Navia tentaculata. A. Sepal...). All symbols and abbreviations should be defined in the legend even if defined in the text, as described under Tables. 

Figures

Figures must be numbered consecutively according to their appearance in the text. They must be submitted as digital files. Computer generated images such as phylogenetic trees should be submitted in vector format files (Adobe Illustrator [.ai], or similar files). Scanned illustrations and photographs should be formatted either as high resolution TIF or Adobe Photoshop (.psd). Please scan artworks using 1200 ppi and 16 bit grayscale, for black-and-white line drawings. Continuous-tone images (in color or black and white) should be minimum 300 ppi. Image sizes in the journal are 2 5/8” (6.5 cm) wide for single column, and 5 1/2” (14 cm) wide for full page. The maximum height is 8 1/2" (22.5 cm) tall. Use the sans-serif Arial font for all lettering in figures. Font size will depend on the image or illustration; usually 12–18 pt. will work for most artwork and continuous-tone images. Letters must be black on white (or light background) or white on dark background. Do not place them on a rectangular or rounded contrasting background, but rather directly on the photograph. Do not use magnifications in the legend; instead, scale must be indicated on the figure itself. Handwritten labels are not acceptable. Poor quality and/or unclear illustrations may be returned for revision prior to manuscript acceptance. Please try to make images visually appealing.  

Special Instructions for Taxonomic Treatments

- In taxonomic treatments, particularly in new species descriptions, manuscripts should begin with a brief introduction, labeled with a secondary header such as ‘Introduction” or “Background.” 

- Following the introduction, a secondary header such as “Taxonomic Treatment” or “New Species” should be included immediately preceding the treatment. 

- Accepted names are in bold and not italicized, authors and citations in regular text, and synonyms in italics. 

- List synonyms in chronological order starting by the basionym. 

- The word “TYPE” (or other related designation) should follow the species name and be in capitals immediately followed by a colon. 

- The country of origin is in all capitals immediately followed by a period. 

- Major political division, such as province and municipality, comes next and is followed by a colon. 

- Next are further political subdivisions, which may vary according to the country or region, and sometimes their citation may be complex. If necessary, use bold face for major political divisions formatted as stated above. Try to be consistent. Please list countries, provinces, municipalities, and political subdivisions in alphabetical order.

- Elevation and collection date follow. Do NOT abbreviate months of the year. 

- Collector(s) and collector number are included, in italics, and followed by the type distribution in parentheses.  Collector’s initials should be given if possible. Please insert a space between each initial and between the last initial and collector’s surname. 

- Distribution of types follows in parentheses. The first letter of the type designations is capitalized. The type designation is followed by a colon and then the herbarium acronym in all capitals. Multiple type designations are separated by a semicolon.

- All new taxa need to be accompanied by short diagnoses in English or Latin that describe the new taxa. If you prefer Latin, please make sure the language is used correctly. The editors will not correct your Latin diagnoses. Italicize all words in the Latin diagnosis. Latin scholars who are consulted for the correcting of diagnoses should be acknowledged. 

- The species description follows and is generally presented in decreasing order of inclusion (e.g., plant, leaves, inflorescence, fruit, seeds). Each major section is highlighted by placing the section identifier in bold italics (e.g., Plant a terrestrial shrub...). Measurements are given as a number or range of numbers followed by the dimension (e.g., 32–35 cm long, 20 cm wide or 32–35 cm × 20 cm). 

- Use the heading “Comments” or “Notes” for an elaboration on the species. 

- For examined specimens, including types, please do not use exclamation mark (“!”) after the herbarium acronym to indicate that a voucher specimen has been seen by the author, but rather indicate within brackets the ones that have not been seen. Example: B. Holst 12345 (SEL [not seen]).  

- For holotypes, please provide, when available, the accession number or barcode in brackets after the herbarium acronym (e.g., “B. Holst 12345 (Holotype: SEL [1012543]”).

- Use the following abbreviations: sp. nov. = new species, comb. nov. = new combination, gen. nov. = new genus, subsp. = subspecies, sect. = section, etc. Herbarium acronyms follow Index Herbariorum http://sweetgum.nybg.org/ih/. Other abbreviations of Latin words should follow Willian T. Stearn’s Botanical Latin and the latest edition of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Please italicize “et al.” (= and others), and “s.n.” (= without a number), when citing collections. 

An example:

Amalophyllon clarkia Boggan, L.E.Skog & Roalson, sp. nov. TYPE: ECUADOR. Azuay: Cuenca, Bosque Protector Molleturo Mullopungo, 250–300 m, 12 April 1996, J. L. Clark, E. Leme, F. A. Maduro 4321 (Holotype: RB [654321]; Isotypes: COL, SEL, SRP, US). FIGURE 1. 

Herbaceum pusillum ecuadorense in corollas albis ad Amalophyllon divaricatum similum sed in foliis profundius serratis et in corollas minus quam 1 cm in diametro differt. 

Plant a diminutive epiphytic herb from scaly rhizomes; stem short, erect to ascending, 0–1(–4) cm long, unbranched. Leaves opposite, ... Fruit a subglobose, dry, bivalved, membranous capsule 1.5–2 mm in diameter, loculicidally dehiscent, valves opening slightly, lacking a fringe of trichomes on the internal margins of the valves; seeds ca. 0.3 mm long, elliptic, brown, spirally striate. 

Distribution and ecology. Ecuador, known from the provinces of Azuay, Esmeraldas, Guayas, and Los Ríos, collected in wet forest on rocks at 120–300 m. 

Phenology. Flowering in March, April, June, and July; in cultivation flowering almost continuously. 

Etymology. The specific epithet honors John L. Clark, whose collection brought this undescribed species to our attention. 

Comments. Amalophyllon clarkii is easily distinguished from A. divaricatum, the only other species known to occur in Ecuador, in having subsessile leaves that are smaller, narrower, more deeply serrate, and in having smaller flowers...

Paratypes. ECUADOR. Esmeraldas: area of Lita and Alto Tambo, Estero Hondo, 15 June 1988, A. Hirtz 3629 (SEL). Guayas: Teresita, 3 km W of Bucay, 270 m, 5–7 July 1923, A. S. Hitchcock 20550 (GH, NY, US). Los Ríos: Hcda. Clementina, hacia hito 1, 120 m, 21 March 1996, M. Cornejo & S. Bonifaz 4830 (SEL, US); Hacienda Clementina, Cerro Samama, near Puerto Negra, 200–250 m, 23 May 2002, B.  Ståhl & M. Cornejo 5854 (S, US).

- In monographs and floristic treatments, when new taxa are not proposed, paratypes and specimens examined other than types should be listed under “Additional specimens examined.”  

Example: 

Additional specimens examined. BRAZIL. Alagoas: Serra do Ouro, flowered in cultivation, 3 Nov. 1978, L. Araujo Pereira s.n. (HB); União dos Palmares, Serra das Bananeiras, 03 November 2002, W.  W. Thomas & al 13232 (CEPEC). Paraná: Guaratuba, Rio da Divisa, 11 November 1962, G. Hatschbach 9820 (MBM, B). Pernambuco: Bonito, 8 September 1987, L. P. Felix & G. V. Dorneles 810 (EAN); Serra do Himalaia–Bonito, 29 August1987, L. P. Felix & G. V. Dorneles 707 (EAN). Santa Catarina: without locality, June 1868, F. Mueller 85 (K, W).

- Submissions that include a new taxon with any authors not included in the authorship of the submitted manuscript must include a letter from such authors authorizing the publication of the new taxon.

Reviewing Process 

In general, submitted manuscripts are initially reviewed by the Selbyana editorial staff for content and style. If accepted for review, the manuscript receives a submission number and a request for reviewers is made. Authors will be able to check the progress of their manuscript by logging into the Author Submission dashboard. The review process generally takes one month, but it may take longer depending on the length of the manuscript and reviewers' responses. Decisions on reviewed manuscripts will be sent to the authors, along with reviewer comments, via the Submission dashboard. Editors will rarely correspond with authors by email.

Reviewed manuscripts are divided into four categories: 1) Accept with minor revision; 2) Accept with major revision; 3) Reject, resubmission encouraged; 4) Reject, material not appropriate for Selbyana. 

If a manuscript is accepted for publication in Selbyana, the authors must address all reviewers’ comments. This process will be carried out using the Submission dashboard. Authors are requested to submit revised manuscripts within one month of notification from the editor. Failure to submit revisions in a timely fashion may result in final rejection of the paper for publication and will require resubmission and another round of reviews.

A cover letter must be included with the revised manuscript and each point made by the reviewers needs to be addressed in this letter. The most efficient way to do this is to include the quoted comment along with a statement on how the comment was addressed. The manuscript itself should be edited using the “track changes” command in MS Word. Authors can also use colored or bold text, or strikethroughs/underlines to signify changes to the body of the text. Authors are encouraged to be as thorough as possible in responding to reviewer comments.

Sequence data and data matrices 

Before final submission, all gene sequences used in any study must be submitted to GenBank (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Genbank). Other data matrices and ecological data should be submitted to permanent repositories, such as Dryad (https://datadryad.org/stash), Github (https://github.com/), TreeBase (http://www.treebase.org), etc., or an institutional repository. Authors who aim to use their data in future publications should communicate in a comment to the editor during the submission process.